Survey to Gather Responses

Surveys are an easy way of gathering any type of information from your group, whether you’re soliciting feedback, gathering ideas, or collecting general data. Surveys are trackable and responses are automatically sorted into reports for viewing in platform, or exporting to Excel.

How to Create a Survey

Here are a few examples in which sending a survey comes in handy:

  • You’re planning an event and need to know who from your group can volunteer for different tasks, such as setup, guest check-in, decorations, clean up, etc.
  • You’re hosting a team potluck and want to ask your group members who can bring what, as well as what food allergies they have (if any).
  • You want to gather feedback after an event.

 

Create a survey 

Customize the look of a survey

Structure your survey and determine what info to collect

Get the URL to share your survey

Copy, customize, or shorten the survey URL

 

Create a survey

Admins can create a survey form on the platform by using a template, starting from scratch, or copying an existing survey form. 

 

Create a survey from a template

  1. On the left navigation bar, click on Surveys
  2. In the submenu, select Create a Survey
  3. Select a template from the available options
  • Click on the row of the + sign to expand the category. A preview will appear to the right of your selection.
  1. Once you have found the template you want to use, click the Use This Template button

survey-1.png

 

Create a survey from scratch

If you want to completely customize your survey form instead of starting from a template, start with a blank survey form.

  1. On the left navigation bar, click on Surveys
  2. In the submenu, select Create a Survey
  3. Click Blank Survey Form on the top right

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Customize the look of a survey

These next steps allow admins to choose a specific color palette and upload a banner -- ideal identifiers for brand recognition and consistency.

  1. Click the Colors dropdown menu
  2. Select a color palette from the available options
  • A preview of the colors selected will appear to the right.

 

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  1. Hover over the banner image section and click on the Edit button that appears

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  1. In the overlay that appears, drag and drop your desired photo into the allotted area, or click to browse and upload

Note: The recommended image size is 900 px wide.

 

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  1. Click the Upload button

 

Structure your survey and determine what info to collect

Admins have a variety of options available to customize the structure of a survey, use different input field types, and further define field options.

On the Add Fields tab, you have the option to drag and drop four different types of fields into their survey preview:

Basic: text or paragraph

Selection: dropdown, radio buttons, etc.

Preset: name, address, etc.

Section & Separators: divider or description

  • The description field is where you can include a hyperlink to your terms of use or privacy statement to make it easily accessible. If you are collecting personal information from European citizens, you must do this to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
  • Be sure to add your terms of use or privacy statement on the relevant page like above where your members provide their personal information.
  1. Add a new field by dragging it from the Add Field tab and dropping it onto your survey form preview on the right. It will embed where you drop it.

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Note: On the survey form, you can select fields, including section headers, and drag and drop them to reposition them.

  1. Use the Field Options tab to label, assign default values, and add notes to each field
  • Click on the field you want to edit and fill in the corresponding text boxes appearing on the left.

Optional steps to request explicit consent for GDPR compliance:

  • To add a required checkbox to ask for consent to process personal information, drag the Checkboxes field to the applicable section.
  • Modify the Choices field to offer a selection that the user gives consent to process personal data.
  • Make this a required field by clicking the box next to Required Field. 
  • To add an e-Signature and date fields, drag and drop a basic text field and date field to the applicable sections. Make these required fields.

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One of the field options is to pre-fill fields with member information, which can save time for users. As long as they're logged in, or coming to the form from a personalized link in an email campaign, their information will already be filled out for them and they can skip the field. Basic member data like name, email, contact info, address, and any custom membership questions your group has are available for pre-filling.

Note: Certain types of fields can only be pre-filled with certain types of member info. For example, you must add a Name field to your form; you cannot pre-fill the member's name into a Basic Text field.

  1. Remove a field by selecting it on your form and clicking the trash icon located on the Field Options tab
  2. Once your survey is complete, click Save & View More Options or Save & Publish Now

Both options will bring you to the survey admin page options. If you choose to publish, your form will be live, but you are welcome to continue editing on the admin page.

Important note: Once you have already started collecting survey responses, deleting any information fields on your form will cause all responses connected to that field to be deleted. 

 

Get the URL to share your survey

After you’ve finished creating and publishing your survey, you’ll want to get the word out and share it. As soon as you publish, an overlay will appear with your published link as well as social media and email sharing options.

 

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You can also view and get the link to your survey at anytime by following these steps:

  1. On the left navigation bar, click on Surveys
  2. Click Manage Surveys in the submenu
  3. Select the gear icon next to the survey title you wish to get the link for
  4. In the submenu, click View or Get Link

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Copy, customize, or shorten the survey URL

Admins have the option to modify part of the survey form URL as well as use a built-in URL shortener when the number of characters in the URL is an issue. Modifying the URL works best when you want to create a more memorable URL, use keywords, or use a naming convention. Shortening the URL is convenient when there’s a need to limit the number of characters, such as in a 280-character tweet.

  1. On the left navigation bar, click on Surveys
  2. Select the title of the survey you want to copy or customize the form URL for
  3. In the features list, click on Copy or Customize the form URL
  4. An overlay will appear with the following options:
  • To copy either the full URL or shortened URL, click on the respective Copy to Clipboard button.
  • Click the Customize button to modify part of the survey form URL. The text box that appears will allow you to edit the portion of the URL that is customizable. Click Save.

Note: After you customize your URL, your previous URL will no longer work. If you have given out your old URL to anyone, they will no longer be able to use it. Shortened URLs do not change, so users can continue to use the same shortened URL whether or not you edit the full URL.

 

View Survey Results and More

Survey forms are trackable and responses are automatically sorted into reports for viewing in platform or exporting to Excel. View the responses that users submitted in a survey, such as who signed up to volunteer, or feedback for an event.

Each survey you create will have a unique admin page with individual data. Admins have access to these features:

 

View survey results

Copy survey form

Close an open survey form or set close date

Notify your members

Manage alerts

Add a thank-you message

Customize the message shown when the survey form has closed

Create a survey button for your email campaigns

Create a survey button for your external website

Share this survey form with leaders in another group

Social media sharing

 

View survey results

  1. On the left navigation bar, click on Surveys
  2. Select the gear icon next to the form that you would like to see responses from
  3. Click Form Responses in the dropdown menu
  4. Adjust the date range and click the Refresh button to view results from a specific period of time 

survey-responses.png

 

  • You can also click the Choose Columns button at the top right to modify which columns to display. In the overlay that appears, uncheck the columns you wish to remove from the display, then click Save.

 

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Viewing options: You can sort columns by clicking on headers at the top of table. You also can filter by dates. The Export Table button allows you to export your form responses to an Excel spreadsheet. (For more advanced sorting and filtering options, including pivot tables as well as a more expanded view, we recommend you export your database to Excel.)

 

Copy survey form

This feature allows admins to make a copy of an existing survey form, ideal for creating a variation of a survey without altering the original.

  1. On the left navigation bar, click on Surveys
  2. Select the title of the survey you want to copy
  3. Near the top right of the admin page, click Copy Form 

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A copy of the new survey will appear in edit mode.

  1. Customize your survey or Save

 

Close an open survey form or set close date

Admins have the option to set a close date for a survey form so members will no longer be able to submit responses. Closing a survey form is the same thing as unpublishing it.

  1. On the left navigation bar, click on Surveys
  2. Select the title of the survey you want to close or set a close date for
  3. To close the form, click Close Form near the top right of the admin page

The survey form will be closed or unpublished immediately.

To set a close date, click Edit next to the date of close (below the Publish Now button). An overlay will appear. You have the option to set a close date and time, or to close the form after a set number of responses.

 

Notify your members

If you created a survey form, the next step is to make it accessible to your members. By default, published surveys are accessible to all your members using the platform. This feature allows admins to select specific members or a list of members who can view the survey from their memberplanet account. When members log on from the mobile app, the survey will appear in their activity feed.

  1. On the left navigation bar, click on Surveys
  2. Select the title of the survey you want to notify your members for
  3. Admins have two options:
  • Choose Members: Use the search bar to search members by first and last name or email, then select members using their respective check boxes
  • Choose a List: Select the desired list(s) of recipients

Note: The lists shown are populated based on previously created distribution lists

  1. Click the Save & Close button

 

Manage alerts

This feature allows admins to receive an email alert once someone submits a survey form response.

  1. On the left navigation bar, click on Surveys
  2. Select the title of the survey you want to receive a notification for
  3. Click Manage Alerts in the feature list 
  4. On the overlay that appears, select the checkbox to activate this feature
  5. Enter email addresses that will receive the notification
  6. Click Save

 

Add a thank-you message

Once a member submits a survey response, a confirmation email automatically goes out to the member. Admins have the option to include a thank-you message in the confirmation email.

  1. On the left navigation bar, click on Surveys
  2. Select the title of the survey you want add a thank-you message for
  3. Click Add Thank-you Message in the feature list
  4. You have two checkbox options:

Add a thank-you message to the confirmation email

  • Upon selecting this feature, a text box will appear wherein you can write a custom message

 

Send an email campaign as a thank-you when someone submits the form

  • You can select an existing email campaign to be sent

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  1. Click Save

 

Customize the message shown when the survey form has closed

When a member attempts to view a form after it has closed, the form fields will no longer be visible. Instead, a message will be shown to the user notifying them that the form is closed. Admins can customize this message.

  1. On the left navigation bar, click on Surveys
  2. Select the title of the survey you want to customize the message for
  3. In the features list, click Customize the Message Shown When the Form Has Closed

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  1. Type your customized message in the text box
  2. Click Save & Close

 

Create a survey button for your email campaigns

When creating email campaigns, you have the option to include buttons – not just links – for any form created on the platform.

  1. On the left navigation bar, click on Surveys
  2. Select the title of the survey you want to create a button for your email campaigns
  3. In the features list, click Create a Survey Button for Your Email Campaigns
  4. Admins have one of two options to select:
  • Choose a Button: Use the dropdown menu to select the desired button text, then click on the color of your choice.
  • Upload Your Own Image: Click the Choose Image button, and drag and drop your desired image into the allotted area, or click to browse and upload. Complete the prompts to upload and crop your image if needed, then click Save.

Note: Recommended image size is 580 px or smaller.

  1. To use your button in an email, navigate to the email you want to use and go to Step 4: Content
  2. In the body of your email, select the area you wish to insert the button, then click Buttons in the toolset that appears
  3. In the pop-up window that appears, click on the Type dropdown menu and select Form Button
  4. Click the Go button for corresponding form you want to use. Your button will appear in the area selected

 

Learn more: How to Create an Email

 

Create a survey button for your external website

Admins can let anyone fill out survey forms, whether or not he or she is a member of the group. This feature can be used for times when you want to use a button on an external website to drive users to fill out a survey.

  1. On the left navigation bar, click on Surveys
  2. Select the title of the survey you want to create a button for your External Website
  3. In the features list, click Create a Survey Button for Your External Website
  4. Admins have one of two options to select:
  • Choose a Button: Use the dropdown menu to select the desired button text, then click on the color of your choice.
  • Upload Your Own Image: Click the Choose Image button, and drag and drop your desired image into the allotted area, or click to browse and upload. Complete the prompts to upload and crop your image if needed, then click Get Code Snippet.

Note: Recommended image size is 580 px wide or smaller.

 

  • A shaded box will contain the HTML code for your button
  1. Copy the entire HTML segment, and paste it into your website 

Each external website builder is different. Check out the customer support for your website hosting company for instructions on embedding the code.

 

Share this survey form with leaders in another group

Many organizations have sister groups, local chapters or clubs, or other groups they collaborate with. If the group you work with also uses memberplanet, you can share a survey or any other form with admins or leaders from that group. This feature helps save time for other admins who will utilize the form on the platform for their own member engagement efforts.

  1. On the left navigation bar, click on Surveys
  2. Select the title of the survey you want to share with leaders in another group
  3. In the features list, click Share this Form with Leaders in Another Group

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  1. Use the search box to search for the group name
  2. Select Add for the desired group
  3. Save

 

Social media sharing

Admins have the option to share surveys and other forms straight from the platform. You can do this immediately after publishing a form from the published confirmation message, or navigate to an existing survey’s admin page.

  1. On the left navigation bar, click on Surveys
  2. Select the title of the survey you want to share on social media
  3. Above the features list, click on the desired social media platform button to share
  • A pop-up window will appear to allow you to type in a custom message when you post to social media.
  1. After typing in your message, select your desired share settings, and publish to social media

 

Glossary - Survey to Gather Feedback or Find Volunteers

 

Survey: a form that gathers any type of information from your group.